LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. They provide third-party certification of eco-friendly designs in schools, businesses, and other buildings. They were originally set up by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, in order to accomplish:
Define and measure what constitutes a green building
Stimulate competition in the green market
Heighten awareness of the benefits to a green building in consumers
Recognize innovators of environmental efficiency in the building industry
Promote designs of buildings that focus on every aspect
Change the building market
LEED uses eight major categories for determining a building's score:
LEED uses eight major categories for determining a building's score: